About us
Making the world's most powerful molecular tools available to every scientist who needs them.
Cutting-edge science requires powerful tools. Too often, these technologies are locked away in silos, requiring dedicated dark rooms, unique expertise, and years of training to operate.
As our understanding of molecular biology grows ever more sophisticated and drug discovery pipelines become dramatically more complex, we need methods that can keep up. We currently rely on methods that report an average, obscuring the rare events and short-lived intermediate states that are vital for biological function, or could cause a drug to fail once it reaches clinical trial.
Exciting Instruments was founded to change that.
Built on decades of research at the University of Sheffield, we spun out in September 2021 to bring the power of single-molecule spectroscopy to every lab, irrespective of biophysical expertise.
Thirteen months later, we had our first instrument installed at a lab in Boston. Today, EI-FLEX Pro instruments are in use at leading academic institutions and biopharma companies across the US, UK, and Europe.
We are a team of scientists, engineers, and commercial specialists who believe the next generation of biological discoveries and therapeutics will be found at the single-molecule level — and that the tools to find them should be available to every lab that needs them.
Founders
The science and the company, built together.
Tim is Lecturer of Biophysics at the University of Sheffield, where his research group pioneered the application of single-molecule fluorescence to understand molecular structure and dynamics. With a publication record spanning leading journals and decades of work at the frontier of biophysics, Tim founded Exciting Instruments to translate this science into a platform that could accelerate drug discovery at scale. He leads the company's scientific vision and product strategy.
Robert co-founded Exciting Instruments and oversees operations, engineering, commercial, and finance. He brings the operational rigour and commercial focus that has enabled EI to grow from a research spin-out into a company serving customers across academia, biotech, and pharma. Robert is responsible for building the team and the systems that allow the science to reach the people who need it.
The team
Physicists. Biologists. Engineers.
People who build things that work.
Board of directors
Experienced oversight.
Aligned with the science.
A Sheffield University graduate and serial life sciences entrepreneur, Jonathan has co-founded and led multiple companies through Nasdaq IPOs and acquisitions — including Zogenix, acquired by UCB Pharma for $2 billion, and SteadyMed Therapeutics, acquired by United Therapeutics — raising over $500 million across his career. He currently serves as President and CEO of Sernova, a regenerative medicine company developing a functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
John brings deep expertise in scaling life science tools companies globally, having served as SVP at Abcam, one of the world's leading providers of research antibodies and reagents, and currently serves as CEO of IMU Biosciences.
Alison is Investment Manager at Northern Gritstone, EI's lead investor, where she works with deep tech and life sciences spin-outs emerging from the universities of the North of England. She joined EI's board in October 2025.
Backed by
Investors who understand
deep science.
We are backed by investors with direct experience building and scaling life science tools companies — people who understand what it takes to go from a university lab to a global platform.
Northern Gritstone is an independent investment company founded by the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield, dedicated to backing science and technology companies emerging from the North of England. With over £362 million in permanent capital, Northern Gritstone invests in deep tech and life sciences businesses at the earliest stages of commercialisation. Exciting Instruments was one of the first companies to complete NG Studios, Northern Gritstone's deep tech pre-seed programme, before going on to raise its seed round with NG as lead investor.
PXN Ventures is a Northern-focused venture capital firm formed from the merger of Praetura Ventures and Par Equity, combining decades of experience backing early-stage, high-growth companies across the UK. With investments spanning deep tech, life sciences, and software, PXN manages multiple EIS and VCT funds and is committed to building world-class businesses from the North.
Empirical Ventures is a specialist UK deep science fund backing venture scientists at the pre-seed and seed stage. Sector-agnostic and science-first, they invest in companies rooted in fundamental scientific or engineering breakthroughs — spanning biotech, AI, quantum, advanced materials, and beyond. Backed by the British Business Bank, Empirical Ventures combines patient capital with hands-on support for founders building from first principles.
Jonathan Milner is the founder and former CEO of Abcam, which he built from a Cambridge start-up into one of the world's leading life science tools companies before its acquisition by Danaher. Through Meltwind, his personal investment vehicle, Jonathan has invested in more than 70 early-stage life science companies, bringing both capital and deep industry expertise. His backing of Exciting Instruments reflects his conviction that single-molecule technology represents the next major platform for biological discovery.
Jonathan Milner — founder & former CEO of Abcam
Stan Boland is a Cambridge-trained physicist and one of the UK's most accomplished deep tech entrepreneurs. He co-founded Icera, acquired by NVIDIA for $367 million, and was previously part of the leadership team at Element 14, acquired by Broadcom for $640 million. He subsequently co-founded FiveAI, a European autonomous vehicle software company. Stan invests in a small number of deep technology companies where he sees genuine scientific and engineering differentiation.